Cook Medical sponsors new endovascular technique trial

Cook Medical will be sponsoring a clinical trial of a new endovascular technique that could potentially reduce the rate of leg amputations among patients undergoing treatment for critical limb ischaemia (CLI).

The study will assess the efficacy of a retrograde tibiopedal interventional approach to treating CLI, which sees clinicians gaining vascular access at the foot and advancing wire guides and catheters up the leg to reach and cross arterial blockages.

It is the first prospective multicentre study to analyse the performance of this technique, which is thought to be able to reduce amputation rates among this patient group by as much as 50 percent.

CLI is a typical manifestation of peripheral arterial disease, a condition that affects an estimated 27 million people in the US and Europe.

Rob Lyles, vice-president and global leader of Cook's peripheral intervention business unit, said: "We are committed to enhancing the delivery of quality patient care and look forward to the initial study results in 2013."

Last month, the company expanded its offering for the peripheral arterial disease market by making its CE Mark-approved Zilver PTX drug-eluting peripheral stent available in Australia.